Play Audiobook Sample
The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
An eye-opening, heart-rending tale of love, honor and betrayal from NBC foreign news correspodent Atia Abawi Fatima is a Hazara girl, raised to be obedient and dutiful. Samiullah is a Pashtun boy raised to defend the traditions of his tribe. They were not meant to fall in love. But they do. And the story that follows shows both the beauty and the violence in current-day Afghanistan as Fatima and Samiullah fight their families, their cultures and the Taliban to stay together. Based on the people Atia Abawi met and the events she covered during her nearly five years in Afghanistan, this stunning novel is a must-read for anyone who has lived during America's War in Afghanistan. Perfect for fans of Patricia McCormick, Linda Sue Park, and Khaled Hosseini, this story will stay with readers for a long time to come. Advanced Praise for THE SECRET SKY: "[The Secret Sky is] a tale of the indomitable Afghan spirit of hope and love. Among the many novels set in Afghanistan for young people or for adults, The Secret Sky stands alone. Unputdownable. Unforgettable." –Trent Reedy, author of Words in the Dust “The Secret Sky brilliantly captures the magic and the heartbreak of Afghanistan as only someone rooted in its mystery can....This first novel by a top foreign correspondent has the authenticity of raw journalism and the poetry of a gifted writer. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the contradictions of the Afghan soul.” –Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and anchor of Andrea Mitchell Reports “A riveting tale written from the heart....This powerful love story will leave you angry at injustice, and awed by courage. It shocks and inspires.” –Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, BBC “The Secret Sky is an amazing combination of utterly searing and beautifully romantic. It was like reading The Kite Runner—a gripping story that gave insight to this brutal yet magical culture.” –Daphne Benedis-Grab, author of The Girl in the Wall
Download and start listening now!
“Narrators Ariana Delawari and Assaf Cohen fully inhabit the vulnerability and uncertainty of present-day Afghanistan teenagers Fatima and Sami…Delawari and Cohen dramatize both characters’ internal monologues as they process their feelings of love and fear…Cohen deftly distinguishes between candid Sami and Rashid…When narrating the novel’s most horrific scenes, the narrators never overplay the tragedy but commit fully to the heartbreaking lines of dialogue, forcing listeners to engage with the important and difficult subject matter.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
-
“Abawi’s debut [is] about a cross-cultural love affair that tears at a small Afghan community…A suspenseful, enlightening, and hopeful love story.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Fatima (Fato) is from the Hazara tribe, and Samiullah (Sami) is Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Their cultural differences make the conflict between the Capulets and Montagues look like child’s play…[and] their journey turns from danger to torture and worse. Abawi writes with a gentle hand as she tells a tale of tribal rituals that’s chilling to the bone…[A] heartbreaking rendering of forbidden love.”
— Booklist -
"[A] fascinating, if disturbing, examination of what Abawi calls in her author’s note a ‘traditionally conservative society’ faced with globalization and modernity.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Literature -
“Riveting plot, sympathetic characters, and straightforward narration studded with vivid, authentic detail: a top choice.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“A riveting tale written from the heart. This powerful love story will leave you angry at injustice and awed by courage. It shocks and inspires.”
— Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent, BBC -
“Brilliantly captures the magic and the heartbreak of Afghanistan as only someone rooted in its mystery can…[and] has the authenticity of raw journalism and the poetry of a gifted writer. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the contradictions of the Afghan soul.”
— Andrea Mitchell, television journalist, anchor, reporter, and commentator for NBC News
Awards
-
A Selection of the Amelia Bloomer Project Award
The Secret Sky Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Atia Abawi
Atia Abawi is the critically acclaimed author of The Secret Sky and A Land of Permanent Goodbyes. She is a foreign news correspondent who was stationed for almost five years in Kabul, Afghanistan. She was born to Afghan parents in West Germany and was raised in the United States. She was born to Afghan parents in West Germany and was raised in the United States.
About the Narrators
Ariana Delawari, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a musician, director, and actress. A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, she directed We Came Home, an award-winning documentary about her journeys to Afghanistan since 9/11, the making of her album “Lion of Panjshir,” and her family story. She recently became the first female of Afghan descent to perform rock music live in Afghanistan in over thirty years. She is also a member of the LA Ladies Choir and was recently a speaker and performer at the inaugural TEDx Kabul.
Assaf Cohen is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has appeared in various plays, short films, and television shows. He grew up in Palo Alto and attended UC Berkeley where he earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology. He continued his classical training by earning a master of fine arts in acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University under the instruction of legendary acting instructor William Esper.